RIO DE JANEIRO – If there was any doubt as to the level of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s popularity in his native Brazil, it was erased when “The Spider” hit the sand of Rio de Janeiro’s famed Copacabana beach for Wednesday’s UFC 134 open workout session.

Hordes of supporters chanted his name (and hurled a few demeaning taunts in the direction of Yushin Okami, Silva’s UFC 134 foe), and hundreds of credentialed media members clamored for a spot next to the champ.

But could it all go away? Could an Okami (26-5 MMA, 10-2 UFC) upset quell the incredible surge of popularity of MMA in the place largely responsible for its birth?

“I don’t think so,” Silva (30-4 MMA, 13-0 UFC) said in his native Portuguese. “We’re fully committed to the sport as it is. A victory or loss are the least of it.

“I hope it keeps growing. We have great athletes here in Brazil. We have great names here in Brazil – great athletes who are just making themselves known here in Brazil, so we aim to keep working at it.”

Saturday night’s UFC 134 event, which takes place at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena, saw its 14,000 available seats sell out in just 74 minutes. The demand was so high, UFC officials are even considering a 100,000-seat stadium when they make an apparently inevitable return to the South American nation.

Fighting in Brazil for the first time in nearly eight years, and the first time ever in the UFC’s octagon, Silva said he couldn’t help but find joy in the gathered masses on hand to watch a simple workout session.

“Fighting at home is like a Brazil-Argentina soccer game, but in Brazil,” Silva said. “We keep focused, of course, but we stay happy because of such a warm reception.”

There were more subtle notes of the growing importance of the sport in Brazil, as well. Silva sported a jacking bearing the logo of Corinthians, a popular soccer club in Brazil that is sponsoring the middleweight champ. Burger King and Nike logos also adorned his clothing, but it was the soccer logo the Brazilian media was most interested in discussing.

Silva admitted the partnership fulfilled a lifelong fantasy – albeit not quite in the manner he envisioned it as a child.

“It’s a dream come true for me,” Silva said. “I even tried out for the team, midfielder position, but it didn’t work out so well. But Corinthians also had a boxing center with Vitor Ribeiro, so I ended up there.”

Silva didn’t stay long in front of the media. As the contingent of reporters and photographers pushed closer and closer, Silva’s handlers ultimately pulled him away and back into the center of an adoring crowd, where the champ put on a striking display as his camp proudly hoisted the UFC title belt in the air.

It was a memorable scene, to be sure. Now the question remains, is it one destined to repeat itself regardless of the champ’s performance on Saturday night?

Silva declined to offer predictions and instead thanked the gathered mass and promised to perform at his best.

“I thank all Brazilians,” Silva said. “I also thank you all in the media since without you, we athletes wouldn’t get far. I thank you all, and I hope to make you all happy on Saturday.”